■BASKETBALL
Stumbling Artest concussed
Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest tripped over a box and fell down a flight of stairs at his home on Christmas night, suffering a concussion and left elbow injury, the team said on Saturday. Hours after being outplayed by Cleveland’s LeBron James and fouling out with only 13 points in a 102-87 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday, Artest suffered injuries that required stitches on his elbow and the back of his head. It’s unknown when Artest might return to the defending NBA champions lineup.
■ICE HOCKEY
Alfredsson out for 4-6 weeks
Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, a key player in Sweden’s 2006 Olympic gold medal run, will be out four to six weeks with a separated left shoulder that could jeopardize his Olympic hopes for next year. The Senators announced late on Saturday that Alfredsson will join a huge injury list for the club, possibly missing every game until the NHL’s February break for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The 37-year-old right wing figures to be a stalwart on the Swedish team and should be back in time for the Olympics, but his longest recovery time would bring him back barely a week before the Olympic final roster deadline.
■ICE HOCKEY
Russian star inks new deal
One day after being named in the Russian Olympic squad, Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Semin inked a one-year contract extension with the National Hockey League club. The 25-year-old playmaker, who together with countryman Alex Ovechkin have led the Capitals to the NHL’s highest point total so far this season, has 122 career goals and 126 assists in five NHL seasons. “He’s one of the elite players in the league and to have him is great,” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. Semin, who will now become an unrestricted free agent after the 2010-2011 season, has 32 points in 20 games this season. “I am extremely happy to sign,” Semin said through a translator. “I like this team. I really like everything here.” Washington selected Semin 13th overall in the 2002 NHL Draft and he has grown into a star in his own right alongside Ovechkin, the NHL’s Most Valuable Player the past two seasons.
■SKIING
World champ suffers injury
Austrian world champion Kathrin Zettel suffered a right knee injury in training on Saturday and is doubtful for the World Cup giant slalom and slalom in Linz today and tomorrow. The 23-year-old, world champion in the combined, damaged ligaments in her knee, said the Austrian skiing federation. Zettel currently leads the giant slalom standings, but is still searching for her first win after three podium places in the giant and one in the slalom.
■FIGURE SKATING
Champ sets new world best
Olympic champion Yevgeny Plushenko set a new world best total mark of 271.59 points to win his eighth domestic title at the Russian championships. The 27-year-old scored 171.50 points for his free skating performance, skating to Tango Amore by Edwin Marton at St Petersburg’s Jubilee ice palace. “I can mark my performance with three points of five — maximum,” Plushenko said as he geared up for the next year’s European Championships as well as another Olympics assault in Vancouver in February. “I was practicing only one week before the Russian championships. Now I need to rehabilitate completely ahead of the European championships to gain my top form for the Olympics.”
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
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